Winter Days
by MarshieMallow
Summary: Three years after the hacking and downfall of Love Machine, Addie finally meets the all-famous King Kazma and Kenji Koiso. After befriending them both, Kenji invites her over to Kazuma's place to stay for the summer. She accepts, and things start to emerge between Kazuma and Addie, but a third person gets in the way. Can she win over Kazuma's love?
1. Prologue

Welcome to the land of OZ.

OZ is a virtual world where people from across the globe can come together online to enjoy themselves.

Reaching the land of OZ is a snap! Your personal computer, television or even your cell phone can take you there.

Now, it's time for you to experience OZ firsthand.

First, take a moment to create your own unique avatar.

It's the digital body you'll use as you explore OZ. It's totally customizable.

From clothing to hairstyle, the sky is the limit.

Aww, what a cute avatar!

Your personal information is safe, thanks to the most advanced encryption system known to man.

You're free to enjoy OZ without a care in the world.

Make sure to visit our mall, where you can buy all sorts of music, movies and cuisine.

You can even purchase cars or real estate or book a vacation.

If it's for sale, you'll find it here.

We also host a wide array of specialty shops. Many real high-end fashion houses are represented within OZ.

Dress your avatar in the hottest new styles!

However, our most prized function is ease of communication.

In OZ, all speech is universally translated in real time so people from around the globe can talk to each other.

At present there are four million communities.

Like sports? Go break a virtual sweat in any event you can imagine.

We also offer unparalleled business connectivity. Corporations throughout the world maintain branches in OZ.

You can even set up an office and cyber-commute.

Many administrative agencies and local governments have opened service kiosks here.

Use your avatar to pay your taxes or file documents with the push of a button.

Last but not least, say hello to John and Yoko, the guardian angels of OZ.

We're all so pleased to meet you.

A world of friendship and fun awaits you.

Travel to OZ today!


	2. Chapter One

Addie watched the battle from above, her eyes focused on the white rabbit who was currently battling an avatar twice his size. Her ears twitched forward as a sickening crack emitted into the air. The crowd of avatars started an uproar, yelling and screaming. Addie sat the avatar she was holding down, flying higher to get a better look. She suddenly felt a sharp pain in her back, her body arching away from the attack. She fell to the battlefield, her limbs flopping out to her sides. She rolled over, groaning and opening her eyes. The crowd had gone quiet. Addie sat up, rubbing her head. She looked around, the rabbit nowhere to be found, until she heard a soft groan from underneath her. Addie jumped up, spinning around and glancing downwards. She squeaked slightly, covering her mouth with her hands and backing up. The rabbit, known as King Kazma, pushed himself up, snapping his head in her direction with a glare.

"Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!" The crowd chanted, starting another uproar. Addie shook her head as Kazma got up, shaking himself to relieve his avatar of the virtual dirt.

"Kazma, I'm sorry!" Addie squeaked, her tail swishing in fear. Kazma said nothing, his glare continuing to pierce the wolf's frame. Addie started to shake as Kazma stepped closer. His avatar was half of a head taller than hers. She craned her neck to look up at the rabbit.

"Kazma..." She whispered pleadingly. She knew he wasn't going to back down. She's watched him enough. "I-I don't want to fight you!"

Kazma narrowed his eyes, his ears twitching with every word. He stepped back, getting into a defensive stance. His eyes said 'fight me anyways'.

Addie sighed softly, dropping into a fighting stance. The crowd cheered, Kazma's name flying through the air in a frenzy.

"You still have the chance to turn around, Kazma!" Addie exclaimed, faking her confidence. Kazma just stared, making a 'come here' motion with his hands.

Addie instinctively narrowed her eyes, taking off towards the white rabbit. She made an attempt at a battle cry, reeling her fist back and letting it fly towards his face. Kazma blocked it, defending himself against her other attacks. She grunted with each strike, bouncing back and dropping into a defensive stance. They locked gazes for what seemed like an eternity before Kazma sent his avatar flying forward.

"Agh!" Addie exclaimed, stumbling backwards from the sudden attack. She made frail attempts at blocking it, as her balance was off. She regained her feet, blocking an attack to her face. She dropped down to all fours, sweeping her leg around so she knocked Kazma's legs out from under him. He fell backwards, a soft thud emitting into the air. Time seemed to be frozen for the crowd, but for Addie, it was quite the opposite. She rebounded, leaping onto Kazma and pinning him down. She grinned down at the struggling avatar, her ears twitching.

Kazma glared at her, flipping them both over so he was on top. He lowered his head towards her, prepared to headbutt her. Addie's eyes opened wider, a small plan forming in her head. Before Kazma could reel his head back, she leaned up, placing a small, distracting kiss right below his nose. Kazma let out a soft grunt of surprise, his mouth opening slightly. Addie lifted her legs, kicking him in the stomach and sending him flying. He landed on his back once more, groaning.

"Give it up, Kazma!" Addie sat up, stifling a sneeze. She pushed herself upwards, standing on her feet, wobbling a bit then regaining her balance. Kazma got up, shaking himself. He stared at her as she shifted her sleeve up onto her shoulder, her powder blue hair falling into her face. She twitched her ears, her earrings clinking against each other. "Make your move!"

Kazma dashed at her, preparing to attack. She dropped into her defensive stance, her tail swishing in wait. The bow she had tied around her tail flapped in the 'breeze' as she waited for the first blow, blocking it with her arm. She received a sharp kick to her side, causing her to go flying sideways. Addie grunted as she hit the ground, skidding along and slamming into some avatars. They screamed as the rest scattered, running as Kazma walked up. He looked down at the avatar, the crowd silent.

"K.O.!" A mechanical voice exclaimed as black text appeared on the ground and behind Kazma. "Challenger wins!"

The crowd cheered, yelling Kazma's name. He continued to stare at the wolf, waiting for her to wake up and walk off the field like everyone else did, but she wouldn't move. Kazma frowned, kneeling down and prodding the wolf. He heard the scuffling of feet behind him and a familiar voice. "Kazma! There you are!"

Kazma looked over his shoulder, staring at the yellow squirrel that was walking up to him. "I've been looking all over for you!"

"Kenji." Kazma nodded, acknowledging him. He turned back to the wolf, picking her up and turning to the squirrel.

"Who's that?" Kenji asked, tilting his head. Kazma didn't reply, he just pushed himself off of the ground, flying through the air. Kenji followed him, squeaking as he dodged the other avatars. "Wait for me!"

Kazma flew to the top of the admin building, setting Addie down. Kenji caught up, panting slightly. "You, sir, are fast. Why did you fly away?"

"She's unconscious." Kazma said, ignoring his friend's question.

"Who is she?" Kenji asked, earning a shrug from the rabbit. "Well, what happened?"

Kazma retold the story of what happened, subconsciously brushing Addie's hair out of her face. Kenji frowned at the end, scratching the back of his head. "Well, at least she's okay in real life."

Kazma gave a half-smile, staring at the tan wolf. She stirred slightly, rolling over. Her tail was hanging down the side of the white building, her dark raspberry colored bow messy and falling off. Kazma pulled her up, holding her while Kenji talked about what he's been doing. He mentioned something about visiting again to see the family.

Eventually, Addie shifted, groaning and opening her eyes. Her gaze fell of Kenji first, whose mouth was open from speaking. She glanced up, locking eyes with Kazma. Her eyes widened as the battle came back to memory. "K-Kazma!"

"She knows who you are, at least." Kenji said, coughing. "We still don't know her name, let alone anything."

Addie narrowed her eyes, looking at Kenji. "My name's Addie. I live in Japan, I'm sixteen, I live on my own. What else do you want to know?"

"Y-You live by yourself?" Kenji squeaked, his eyes widening. "At the age of sixteen?"

"My parents died in a car accident two years ago, during the hacking of Love Machine. I've been living off of my grandparents funds, but I never wanted to move in with them because they're kind of mean." Addie said quietly. Kazma frowned, placing a paw on her back.

"You said you live in Japan? Where at?" Kenji asked, trying to relieve the tension.

"Ueda." Addie said simply, shrugging. Kazma tilted his head slightly.

Kenji laughed softly. "Kazma lives there, too! I'm coming to visit them in a couple of days. You should visit them with me!"

Addie shook her head. "I wouldn't want to be a burden."

Kazma adjusted the goggles around his neck. "I'd love to have you visit, Addie." He said quietly. Addie looked at him, blinking.

"A-Are you sure?" She asked, giving a small smile. Kazma nodded, his eyes lighting up.

Kenji smiled, clapping his hands. "Great! Addie, just message me your address and I'll come pick you up on my way there!"

Addie nodded, smiling wider. "Sounds like a plan."

* * *

Addie was floating around OZ, watching the other avatars lazily. It had been three days since she talked with her friends. She was waiting for Kenji to message her, letting her know he was on his way. She had put on a pair of faded blue flare jeans, which was inspired by the American fashions she had seen, along with a striped green and orange sweater. Her powder blue hair was flipped over to the right side of her head, falling into her face, which also had a green bow clipped in her hair. She had on black combat boots with white knee high socks.

Addie's phone made a ding sound, notifying her of a message. She flipped open her phone, her avatar's chibi form holding out an unopened envelope. She clicked a couple buttons, opening the message and seeing it was from Kenji. He was on his way, having just gotten into Ueda. She had found out that Kazuma didn't live that far from her. She quickly put on some makeup: a touch of powder blue eyeshadow, a cat-eyed look of eye liner, a bit of mascara. An hour later, her doorbell was ringing, letting her know that someone was there. Addie grabbed her phone and her jacket, making sure her keys were in the pocket before answering the door.

Kenji was standing on the porch, staring at the sky. He looked down as the door opened, smiling. "Why, hello! You must be Addie!"

Addie smiled back at him, nodding. "You must be Kenji. Nice to meet you." She bowed slightly, earning one from him.

"Ready to meet Kazuma in the flesh?" He asked as they walked to Kazuma's house.

"I guess so. I'm ready to meet to guy who knocked my character out cold." Addie responded with a chuckle, her boots crunching against the gravel road. Kenji laughed alongside her, smiling.

"I'll get to see Natsuki again, too." Kenji's voice was distant, nostalgic. Addie tilted her head, glancing over at him. "It's been too long."

"Who's Natsuki?" Addie asked, staring ahead as a building came into view. Her heart started racing, wondering if that was the place Kazuma was at.

"My girlfriend." Kenji said, his cheeks turning a shade of pink. Addie laughed, growing quiet as they trekked up a staircase that led to an old fashion Japanese house. There was laughing coming from the back of the house. Kenji took hold of Addie's hand, pulling her around back. She squeaked and hid behind Kenji as everyone turned to say hello.

"Hey guys! Hey Natsuki!" Kenji waved as Addie clung his back. "I brought a friend, hope you don't mind."

"No, no! Of course not! The more the merrier! How have you been, darling? Holding up well? Natsuki's been talking about your return. You'll have to stay here soon!" Mariko chattered, smiling. Natsuki wandered up, her face having turned a small shade of pink.

"Hello, Kenji!" Natsuki smiled. Kenji released Addie's grasp, hugging Natsuki. "How have you been?"

"I've been good. How's the family…" Their voices disappeared from Addie's hearing as she backed away, hoping to escape. She wasn't expecting that many people to be here. Kenji turned around, frowning. "Addie! Don't go. You haven't met everyone yet!"

"I-I didn't realize there'd be this many people." Addie said nervously. Two little boys ran up to her, causing her to yelp and take off. She ran away from the boys, flying through the house. She ran into a room, shutting the door and leaning against it. She sighed after hearing the boys run past the door, sliding down the door with her back against it. She opened her eyes, squeaking as she locked gazes with a boy about her age.

"W-Who are you?" Addie whispered, curling up against the door. She shivered from the stare the boy was giving her.

The boy stood up, pulling his headphones off of his head, putting them around his neck. Addie caught a flash of the OZ server on his website before he obstructed her view. "I'm Kazuma. You must be Addie."

"K-Kazuma!" Addie squeaked. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to barge in like that! I'll leave!" She stood up, going to slide open the door. He stopped her, pulling her away from the door.

"You don't have to go." Kazuma said softly, pulling her into a hug. Addie squealed in surprise, then slowly hugged him back. When they pulled away, Addie was able to get a good look.

The first thing she noticed about him was that, like their avatars, they had a half of a head height difference between them. He had long, shaggy black hair that fell over his right eye. His eyes were a shade of dark brown, which held a bright shine. His skin was tanned and he was lean for his age, but he had some muscle tone. He wore a green and orange tank top with tan shorts. His headphones were white and black.

He tilted his head as if to ask why she was staring. Addie looked away, blushing slightly. She focused on something random in the room. Her feet carried her to a book that he had on laid out on a shelf. She picked it up, pretending to be interested. After a couple of minutes, she glanced over at his laptop, setting the book down.

"So you really are King Kazma…" Addie murmured, sitting in front of his laptop. He sat down next to her, pulling his laptop towards himself and typing.

"You didn't believe I was?" He asked quietly, the clack from the keyboard filled the silence in the room, making the tension a bit more bearable.

"I did. It just didn't sink in until after." Addie replied, going silent once more.

They were quiet for a bit. Addie eventually pulled out her music player, plugging in her headphones and stick them over her head, pulling them snugly over her ears. She put on a song, humming along to the beat as she leaned against one of his shelves. She could see what he was doing from where she was at, so she watching curiously. She noticed him send a message to what looked like a female avatar. Her stomach dropped as she saw a female avatar who was kind of small, probably her chibi form. She had silvery-white hair that had two pigtails tied with a dark red ribbon on either side; two big, bright, blood red eyes that seemed to stare into your soul. She had three black lines on either side of her face She had on a black and red jacket and had black pants on with what looked like black ninja shoes. She also had a tiny sword attached to her back. Addie coughed awkwardly, looking at her music player as if it was the most interesting thing on the planet. Kazuma crawled over to her, placing his hands on her knees. She still didn't look at him.

Kazuma placed his index finger underneath Addie's chin, forcing her to look at him. He had a confused look on his face.

"I'm fine." She said bluntly, jerking herself away from him. She stood to open the door, glancing halfway over her shoulder. "It was nice to finally meet you, Kazuma. But I must be leaving."

Kazuma stood up quickly, his legs almost giving out. "Why? Don't go, Addie."

"Just have fun." Addie said, the flatness in her tone sharp, like a freshly made sword. She waved her hand at the laptop behind him.

"What?" He looked back to his computer, his avatar waving a letter with the female avatar stamped on it. "Oh! She's just a challenger."

Addie turned halfway around, hopeful. "A challenger?"

"Yeah. She wants to fight me now. I told her in a little bit because I had company over." He replied, tilting his head slightly.

"Oh. Family?" She assumed, her shoulders sagging a bit.

"No." Kazuma noticed and pulled her into a hug. "You."


	3. Chapter Two

"Go on. Eat." Kenji nudged Addie's arm gently, pushing a plate full of food towards her. They were sitting at the table, legs folded underneath themselves as Kenji consistently tried to get Addie to eat something. Everyone had already gotten up and went their separate ways. Natsuki was on the other side of Addie, frowning worriedly. Kazuma was across the room, his back to the wall as he watched Kenji struggle.

"She obviously doesn't want to eat, Kenji." Kazuma spoke up once again, staring. Addie didn't meet his gaze, instead, she kept her eyes down at the food Kenji was trying to get her to eat.

"Kazuma, she needs to eat. Addie, please. We're worried about you. You barely touched your food the whole time. What's wrong?" Kenji asked, forcing her to look at him. She remained silent, her eyes distant-like. "Addie?"

She shook her head, blinking. "Wh-What?"

"Eat!" Kenji shoved her food at her, frustrated. The plate teetered on the edge, spilling over the side and onto Addie. She screamed, jumping up and brushing the particles off of her clothes. Kenji was suddenly on the ground, away from Addie. Kazuma had her hand, pulling her towards his room. "Kazuma! I didn't mean to!"

Addie struggled to keep up, fighting to get out of Kazuma's grip. "Kazuma! You're hurting me!"

He grunted, pulling her into his room and shutting the door. He rummaged through where he kept his spare clothes, pulling out a shirt and shorts. He walked over to Addie, shoving them at her and running a hand through his hair, obviously flustered.

"K-Kazuma. Really. It's okay, it was an accident. I don't-"

"Put them on, Addie. I'm going to have my mom wash your clothes so you can have them back." Kazuma frowned, tilting his head. Addie stood awkwardly, looking everywhere but Kazuma. "Is something wrong?"

"I can't change while you're watching, Kazuma…" She laughed softly as Kazuma's face turned a shade of light pink.

"Right. Sorry." He headed towards the door, sliding it open and walking out. "I'll be with Kenji and Natsuki."

Addie nodded as he shut the door. She looked around his room, noticing his laptop was left open and his OZ account was up. She tilted her head, smiling at the moving avatar on his screen. She pulled her soiled shirt over her head, pulling on the slightly-too-large shirt Kazuma gave her on. She pulled off her jeans, slipping on the pair of shorts, just as Kazuma's laptop made a _bing_ sound. She turned around, seeing the female avatar from before. She frowned, closing his laptop and picking up her clothes. She walked out to where the trio was located, holding her clothes awkwardly. Natsuki was the first to look at her. She jumped up, a huge smile on her face.

"Addie! We've been waiting!" She grinned, taking the clothes from the blue-haired girl and handing them to Kazuma. He left the room, brushing past Natsuki and Addie with an emotionless face. Addie rose an eyebrow before looking back at Natsuki, who just shook her head. "Come on, let's go sit down."

Kenji, Natsuki and Addie all sat around and talked. Natsuki and Kenji caught up with each other, bringing up the idea of him finally staying at the house. Addie laid on her back, staring at the ceiling and commenting every now and then. They turned to her, their eyes questioning. She glanced at them, her eyebrows scrunching.

"What?" Addie said, rolling onto her side.

"You're quiet!" Natsuki whispered, glancing towards the television that was playing the news. "What's on your mind?"

"Nothing, really." She rolled back over, turning onto her other side as she went quiet again. She hated lying to people but she didn't want them to worry. She couldn't stop thinking about the way Kazuma had acted when she first got here, or the way he's been more caring than she would've thought. She didn't have her laptop with her, so she couldn't fully check on her avatar. She was hoping everything was okay on Oz.

"Are you sure?" Kenji asked softly as Kazuma walked back in. He sat down near Addie, leaning against the wall. She glanced at him, his face blank as he stared outside. She pushed herself up as Kenji sat close to Natsuki, watching the television and chatting with her. Addie crawled over to the spot next to Kazuma, sitting back against the wall.

"You really didn't have to do what you did, you know." She said after a while. Kazuma just stayed quiet, glancing over at her. She continued, staring at her hand. "I know you were just looking out for me. I appreciate that. I haven't had anyone who's cared for years, so you're the first in a long time."

She smiled, looking up at the other two. "Those two. They just care as well. I've been so caught up in my own mind lately that it's hard to let anyone in. I want to get better at it, to be who I was before my parents died."

Kazuma turned his head to fully look at his friend, wanting to say something but unsure as to what. She just grinned, her eyes tearing up slightly at the thought of her parents.

"I joined Oz to keep my mind off of things after the accident." She confessed, looking back down at her hands. "I lived with my grandparents for four years before I was old enough to live by myself. During those years, I trained on Oz with the hope that one day I'd be strong enough to face the strongest avatar. At the time, I didn't know it was you. I was relentless, training by myself and taking on random challengers. After I saw what you and your friends did during the attack from Love Machine, I knew it was you I had to fight. I fought harder than ever, with the sudden urge to try and impress you during our fight."

Addie sighed, looking outside. "But when it came time to fight you, during that mishap on Oz the other day, I knew the moment we stepped foot onto the battlefield that despite all the training and all the preparation I made, I was nowhere close to being ready to face you. I didn't want to seem like a coward to you, though, so I stood my ground."

Kazuma frowned slightly, the battle scene flashing through his mind. Addie continued on, staring at the floor. "There's so much I want to be able to do and I feel like everything is caving in on me. I live alone in the house that my parents paid off before they were killed. My grandparents want nothing to do with me now that I'm able to take care of myself. I'm all alone."

Kazuma raised his hand, running his thumb underneath of her eye, wiping away the tear that escaped and was slowly making its way down her cheek. Addie's eyes went wide as she looked over at him.

"You're not alone anymore. You have us."


End file.
